Agitating, mixing, and circulating machine



Nov. 4, 1930. T. OFARRELL AGITATING, MIXING, AND GIRCULATING MACHINE Filed Nov. 26'. 1929 IlyVENTOR. five/1,45 OHQERELL BY 41 F61 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Nov; 4, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT: OFFICE THOMAS OFARRELL, i GilAREMONT, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 RUSSELL C.

IBLOOMFIELID, OF LO$ ANGELES, CALIFORNIA AGITATING, MIXING, AND CIRCULATING MACHINE Application filed November 26, 1929. Serial No. 409,900.

My invention relates to agitating, mixing and circulating machines generally.

The machine may be used for many purposes, but is primarily designed for the washing of clothes, dishes and the like, and has for an object the provision of new and novel means for creating'turbulence in a mass of liquid and for causing the liquid to be effectively aerated and then transmitted in many directions and with that rapidity and action which renders the air contalned in the distributed water highly efiective when brought into forced impingement with the object to be cleaned.

An important object of the invention resides in the provision of means which will exert a constant downward pressure on a mass of'liquid in a container so that and by virtue of its action, supplemented by the action of other means herein employed, the

liquid will be placed in continuous circulation in a manner to cause a constant stream of liquid to maneuver over a definite course, thence through an air s ace where it is saturated with air, after w ich it is taken back into the container, where it will be spent with considerable force and effect against the object under treatment.

A very important feature of the invention resides in the provision of means for producing a vortex tube in a body of liquid and for placing the liquid in circulatory motion while causing divided partsof the liquid to make a continuous cycle over a course that will cause the liquid to be thoroughly aerated before being pressed back into a main mass of liquid; 1 v v A still further object of the invention is. to provide means of the character described which will consist of a comparatively few working parts and anorganization of the parts which will function with maximum effect against either a body of liquid or a body of'semi-liquid. Another object of the invention is to provide amachine of the class described embodying circulating means which functions to set up great'turbulence in a mass of liquid in which it operates and which is designed'so as to prevent clothes or other objects under well as from theaccompanying drawings, in

which v Figure 1 isa vertical section through the machine showing parts in elevation;

Figure 2 is a side view of the means for inducing circulation of the fluid;

Figure 3 is a section on line 33 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a detail view through a portion of the tray showing the circulating means in association with the return opening of the tray.

In carrying the invention into practice, use is made of a suitable form of container 5, preferably circular in cross section and provided near its bottom with a drain cock 6. 7 The upper end of the container is covered by a removable lid 7. v

- To the under side of the lid 7 is mounted a tray structure 8, and the latter is secured to the lid by lugs 9. This tray structure is provided with a wall 10 having perforations 11 formed therein preferably at points between the outer edge of the wall and the vertical axis thereof whose purpose will be explained. as the description proceeds. The tray structure is'also formed with a dependingcollar 12 having acirculating opening 13 positioned in line with the vertical axis of the container .5. The perforated wall 10 of the tray structure is located at some distance from the lid 35 7 so as to provide an intervening air spacel l' between these parts, whichsaid air space-is in direct communication with the circulating opening 13.

Mounted upon the lid 7 is an electrically driven motor 15 having a driven shaft 16 which extends downwardly in the direction of the opening 13 so that the walls of the opening are concentrically related thereto. Detachably connected withthe shaft 16 by means of a fastening or connector 17 is a churning and circulating element'18 which is provided with a plurality of verticalfins 19,19, preferably diametrically related with respect to the axis of the shaft 16, and as illustrated these fins are of a diminishing width toward their lower ends. The upper portions of the fins are provided with angularly disposed suction inducing and water pressing surfaces 20, the surface 20 of one fin extending in an opposite direction to the corresponding surface of the mating fin. These surfaces are intended to function in the circular opening 13 and thedistance from the free extremity of one surface 20 to the free extremity of the corresponding or mating surface is slightly less than the internal diameter of said circulat ing opening, there being sufficient clearance between these parts to enable the surfaces to freely rotate in the opening. At this point, it will be observed that the depending walls of the collar 12 project slightly below the plane of the angular surfaces 20 of the aforementioned fins so as to prevent clothes from being caught between said surfaces 20 and the walls of the circulating opening. The lower ends of the fins 19 are pitched at 21 and extended upwardly at a slight angle at22. The surthe faces 20 are so pitched as to not only function to exert pressure against a body of water but they are designed to induce suction atrpoints above the opening 13 in order that air from the space 14 will be drawn in a downward direction and in a line axially of the circulating element.

When washing clothes, the latter are placed in water in the container and the lid adjusted to a closed position. The aforementioned circulating element 18 now extends downwardly into the container as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. The motor 15 is then' set in operation so as to rapidly revolve the element 18, which results in the creation of a vortex tube in the .mass of Water in the container. In other words, an eddy or whirlpool is established by the action of the fins, which tends to draw the clothes in the direction of the element 18. This tendency, however, is counteracted by the functional action of the pressing and suction inducing surfaces 20, the latter acting constantlyin the vortex tube, which is producedby their constant rotation supplemented by the action of the body portions of the fins. In Figure 1, X indicates an imaginary water line which is slightly above the perforated wall of the-tray structure 8. It manifestly follows that as the element 18 revolves, the surfaces 20 press downwardlyagainst the body of water in the container 5 and that simultaneously they function also to draw air from the space 14. Incident to itched conditions of the lower ends of the us 19, a violent disturbance is set up in the water which functions to throw the clothes in an outward direction, at the same time putting the clothes in circulatory motion where it is thoroughly saturated with air and I the same is then sucked into the opening 13, thoroughly intermixed with lobules of water to the extent that many air ubbles are produced. The water thus treated and aerated is then placed in circulation by the action of the element 18 v and continuously drawn through the air space 14 for successive air saturation. I find that inthis manner I am able to put this aerated water to full force and effect in the washing of clothes and that there is virtually produced a bombardment of the clothes by the action of air bubbles. In this manner, the cleaning of the clothes is effected entirely by agitation plus this induced socalledbombardment. No metallic parts of the apparatus are permitted to come in contact with the clothes, and as a result thereof I entirely eliminate any and all possibility of damage to the clothes. I find that in this manner the most delicate articles of apparel can be'treated without any detrimental effect.

In cases where no air is required to be impounded or to impregnate the water, the water line X may be raised so that no space is formed between the water line and the under surface of the lid 7. I find that in so doing the pressure and suction inducing surfaces 20 are never directly exposed to the air except possibly the free air contained in the mass of Water. In other words, no direct void is produced at points above the surfaces when the Water level-is raised to its highest position in. the container.

I am primarily interested in an organized arrangement of instrumentalities which func tion to cause the liquid or semi-liquid, as the case may be, with its contained air bubbles beaten into it,.to be drawn down from the inlet opening 13 by the action of the surfaces 20 on the fins 19 and to then proceed down the vertical body portions of the fins. This action, combined with the resistance of the liquid or semi-1i uid against the vertical body portions of the us, and assisted by the upturned lower extremities of the. fins, causes the mixture of air and liquid or semi-liquid to be circulated around the container and to be forced up from the perforations 11, so that a circulation of air-impregnated liquid or semiliquid occurs along entirely defined and separate courses, one around the axis of the means 18 and one whose line is intercepted by the tray structure of the machine, and the water in circulation which takes the last defined course is thoroughly saturated or impregnated with air on each successive cycle of operation.

In addition to the uses to which the invention can-be put, I have found that it can be used to decided advantage in the mixing of prising a liquid container having an air space,

a tray underlying the air space and provided with a central opening, the tray having perforations positioned at a point laterally of the said opening, and means carried by the tray and co-acting with the opening and the said perforations for placing liquid in circulation in the container and for causing a quantity of the liquid to be deflected into the air space and thereby saturated with air and thendrawn back into the container by way of said opening to be intermixed with the mass of liquid in said container.

2. A machine of the class described comprising a container having av removable lid, a tray carried by the lid and underlying the same in spaced relationship thereto, the tray having a central opening and a perforated portion at a distance to one side of the opening, and a combined agitating and suction inducing device extending into the opening and having fins extending downwardly into the container.

3. A machine of the class described comprising a container having aiemovable lid, a tray carried by the lid and nderlying the same in spaced relationship thereto, the tray having a central opening and a erforated portion at a distance to one side 0 the opening, and a combined agitating and suction inducing device extending into the o ening and having fins extending-downwar y into the container, the fins having portions adapted carried by the lid and having a shaft extending in the direction of the opening, and anagitator extending partly into the opening and connected with the shaft, and having free lower extremities pitched to cause water in the container to be deflected into the s ace between the tray and the lid byway o the erforations and to return to the container y way of said opening.

6. A machine of the class described comprising. a container, a wall dividing the container'into an upper air compartment and a lower liquid compartment, the wall having a short depending collar, and a rotary circulating element positioned axially of the collar and partly extending thereinto and having substantially vertically disposed fins which extend into the liquid compartment.

7 A machine of the class described comprising a container, a wall dividingthe container .into an upper air compartment and a lower liquid compartment, the wall having a short depending collar, and a rotary circulating element positioned axially of the collar and partly extending thereinto and having substantially vertically disposed fins which extend into the liquid compartment, the wall having perforations disposed at a oint laterally of the collar, and the said us being respectively formed with surfaces to induce suction along a vertical line andv to cause streams of liquid to be deflected through the perforations and discharged into the air space to be aerated, thence returned to the liquid compartment by way of the said collar.

' THOMAS OFARRELL.

to deflect water in the direction of the per-i forations and through the sa ine, thence into the space between the tray and the lid, where carried by the hd and having a shaft extendthe direction of the opening, and an agitator extending partly into the opening 7 and connected with the shaft.

" 5 A machine'of the class described com rising a container having a lid, a tray underyin'g the lid in spaced relationship thereto t e tray having rforations to one side 0 the axial center 0 the container and provided with an opening at the axial center, a. motor it finds exit to the container by way of the e 

